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Yes, the numbers discussed are close. It's a difficult segment sales-wise. I have to imagine the number of top-end DH bikes going out the door at full margin is miniscule. But, I also think the market for $3-4k DH bikes will grow in coming years as bike park riding continues to expand and consumers seem to be moving towards mid-travel bikes for their daily-drivers. Yes, enduro race bikes are getting really good at DH, but often at the expense of general usability.

That was definitely my point.

Gotta love the plastic pedals and reflectors on that sled

If you’re chasing down air leaks at the spokes, it’s because you did a crap job on the tape or the valve. Tubeless isn’t brainless yet, so if you haven’t been through the wringer yet learning the hard way about tape and valves, it would be easier to learn tubeless without the added complexity of cushcore. For me, I learned all that stuff the hard way already so cushcore and me get along nicely. I run DH casings front and rear, so I’m also not excessively worried about fixing punctures through the casing or tread on the trail. When was...

Our sport is in such a great/weird spot right now. Huge influx of new riders is great. More money coming in is great. More trails are being built, awesome. But at the same these new trail systems are the most BORING thing ever to ride. And people think these trails are the pinnacle of MTB.

cooper webb couldn't try to qualify at a WC unless he had enough UCI points. those are earned by placing well enough at local/regional/national races that offer UCI points. no different to any other mountain bike racer wanting to race WC. their was the loophole a few years ago where you and your crew could pay enough to create a WC team, get licenses and race. changing topics (sort of), i'd love it if there were open qualifiers before world cup DH races. tuesday open practice for punters, weds open qualifiers, top 3 get a chance to qualify with the...

Great coverage! This is a crucial message for young racers to hear- race for the love of it and the fun of it, and don't expect anything in return except the satisfaction you get from having a great time. The thrill of racing and pushing our own limits is what its about. Keep your day job. The more you do, the more you can do!

Sounds like your memory of that Avalanche shock is fairly accurate, Mr Brines. I recently procured a used Nicolai G13 with an Avalanche Woodie (long stroke to bring travel up to 148mm) and revalved DHX, they both work better than any stock shock I've used when I comes to making square edged hits disappear without excessive dive (the "decoupled" feeling you described). Both shocks also have amazing recovery whether it's to the trail or rider input, without feeling too fast or skittish. I have never had a bike with suspension that feels this balanced and well controlled. Part of that...

So much of this depends on the fork. I'm used to DVO forks which have the OTT (off the top) adjustment for that first bit of travel. This allows you to run a high spring rate with out sacrificing low speed compliance which greatly improves cornering traction. As the DVO Onyx 29r is still a month or more away I'm using a boxxer wc debonair and really struggling with set up. If I use the lowest recommended air pressure for my weight and 0 clicks in on both lsc and hsc it maintains ride height but feels harsh on the...

It should be more balanced, but I can't afford the fancy damper I'd like (Avalanche) so I'm stuck messing around on the spring side.

it's possible they didn't include it as procore is a fundamentally different system (dual air chambers vs foam insert) so it would have been difficult to make the kind of head to head comparison based on the test methodologies used here

I was out riding and ran into a Dad on his E'-bike and he had a strap and was towing his son (on a 24" F/S bike) up the hills..I thought it was pretty sweet.

Okay, MIPS does have links to general safety papers on their website: http://mipsprotection.com/r-d-papers/ ...but none of those are written within the last 12 years, and so they all predate MIPS as a technology. While they may have staff that published foundational research, there don't appear to be any papers discussing the safety properties of MIPS.